Some Behavioral Signs of Sexual Abuse

Dr. Anthony Urquiza,
Psychologist
Child Protection Center
University of California

"There may be some nonspecific types of signs. That might include things like shame or a sense of embarrassment. Again, withdrawal or aggressiveness define the types of behavior. Sleep disorders or nightmares or difficulty either going to sleep or maybe waking up sometime during the night. They may have avoidant types of behaviors or fears or phobias-some kind of concern about being in a particular place or a concern about being with a particular person. There may be symptoms or signs of depression, things like a change in their school performance that is noticeably different than the way they used to act; a change in the type of activities in which they've been involved..."

"...they might be very disruptive when they didn't used to be or very angry, acting out, defiant or oppositional."